Coin controlled vending machine



Sept. 29, 1936. Q WALKER 2,056,083

COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 11, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 29, 1936; I c WALKER 2,056,083

COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 11, 1934 ZSheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application October 11,

6 Claims.

My invention consists in new and useful improvements in coin controlled mechanism for vending machines and has for its object to provide a device which may be adapted for various types of vending machines.

Another object of my invention is to provide a mechanism of this character particularly adapted for vending varying quantities of merchandise according to the denomination of the coin inserted. In other words, the machine is equipped with means for receiving coins of varying denomination, such for example as 5, 10, 25, and 50 pieces, and for automatically vending a quantity of merchandise commensurate with the coin inserted.

A further object of my invention is to provide a coin controlled mechanism embodying a prime mover in the form of a rotary drum provided with a plurality of coin receiving recesses of suitable dimensions to receive coins of different denomination and having means cooperating with an inserted coin for controlling the number of articles vended according to the denomination of the coin inserted.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a means for preventing wear of the inserted coin, whereby the ,coin is used merely to initiate the rotation of the drum and drops into a suitable coin receptacle.

With the above and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel features herein set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings in which numerals of like character designate similar partsthro ugh out the several views,

Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view taken through the 5 slot of the rotary drum of one form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar viewtaken through the 10 slot.

Fig. 3 is a similar view taken through the 25 slot.

Fig. 4 is a similar view taken through the 50 slot.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation partly in section, showing the coins of different denominations in place in the drum recesses.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of that form of my invention illustrated in Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a plan view of a modified form of my invention.

Fig. 8 is a sectional View taken on line 88 of Fig. 7, and

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of that form of my invention illustrated in Fig. 7, and showing the 10 coin in place in the recess.

In the drawings, referring to Fig. 5, numeral I 1934, Serial No. 747,869

9, respectively, said coins representing 5, 10,

25, and 50 pieces, respectively. Each of said recesses is preferably of a suitable depth toretain the inserted coin in'an upright position with a portion of the latter extending beyond the periphery of the drum of the purpose hereinafter set 5 forth.

Adjacent one end thereof, the drum is provided with a series of ratchet teeth l0 adapted to be engaged by a suitable pawl member I I, pivoted as at l2 and normally held in engagement with the ratchet teeth by means of a spring I3, to prevent reverse rotation of the drum l.

Referring to Fig. 1 which is a section through the 5 coin recess in the rotary drum, it will be seen that in the coin recess 6, I provide an arm l4, its lower end pivoted as at IS on a transverse pin, the upper of said arm lying adjacent the periphery of the coin 6 in the recess and being curved to correspond substantially to the periphery of said coin. This arm l4is held normally out of engagement with the periphery of the coin by means of a spring I6 to permit entrance of a coin in the recess.

Adjacent the periphery of the drum l, I provide a rocking lever ll fulcrumed at l8, the upper end of which lies in the path of rotation of the projecting end of the coin engaging arm M, the opposite end of said lever being pivoted as at H? to the end of a delivery arm 20, the latter in turn being connected to a plunger 2| for vendring articles 22 from a magazine 23. The delivery end of the magazine is provided with suitable means 24 to prevent the delivery of an article by tilting of the machine. Adjacent the lower end of the rocking lever l 8, I provide a suitable spring 25 connected to the former for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

The operation of the machine for the 5 coin will be as follows:

If no coin is inserted in the recess 6 through the coin slot or chute 6a, upon turning the handle 5 in clockwise direction,.the drum I will be rotated and the arm I 4 will engage rocking lever I! but due to the absence of a coin in the recess 6, the lever I! will force arm l4 inwardly in the recess as shown in dotted lines, without rocking lever I1 and with it the delivery arm 20, thus failing to deliver an article and permitting the idle rotation of the drum.

On the other hand, with a 5 coin properly inserted in the recess 6, the rotation of the drum I will bring the arm I4 into engagement with the upper end of the lever I'I, forcing arm I4 against the periphery of the coin 6' and rocking the lever IT on its fulcrum I8, thus causing the delivery arm 20 and plunger 2| to eject the lowermost article from the magazine 23, spring 25 returning the lever I1 and delivery arm 20 to their normal positions. coin retaining means, said coin will drop by gravity into a suitable receptacle, during the rotation of the drum.

In Fig. 2 which is a section through the 10 coin recess in the drum I, I also provide an arm 26 similar in all respects to arm I4 of Fig. 1, having its lower end pivoted as at 21 to a transverse pin, and normally held out of engagement with the periphery of the coin I by means of a suitable spring 28'.

Adjacent the periphery of the drum, I provide a rocking lever 29, fulcrumed at 30, the lower end of. which is pivotally connected to a delivery arm 280. similar to that shown in Fig. 1. The upper end of this lever carries a short transverse shaft 3I' on which is rotatably mounted a sleeve or hub 32 (Fig. 6).. 33 designates two oppositely disposed arms or fingers integral with one end of the sleeve 32 or suitably fixed thereon, the other end. of the sleeve being provided with four radiating fingers 34.

As best seen from Fig. 6, the fingers 33are arranged in a vertical plane for engagement by the coin engaging arm 26, while fingers 34 are longitudinally spaced from the fingers 33" along the sleeve and are engageable by two projecting grooved abutments 35 on the periphery of the drum I adjacent the coin recess I.

36 represents a ratchet integralwith the sleeve 32" or suitably fixed thereto, also rotatably mounted on the shaftS'I adjacent the fingers 34 and adapted to be engaged by a spring pawl member 31' secured to the rocking lever 29, for the purpose hereinafter set forth, (Fig. 2)

The operation of the machine for the' 10 coin is as follows:

If no coin is inserted and the drum is rotated, the arm 26 'will engage lever 33 but will be forced inwardly in the recess T without moving finger 33, the latter being retained against rotation by the pawl 31. However, upon the insertion of the 10 pieceand the rotation of the drum, arm 26 will engage finger 33 and rotate the same together with the sleeve 32 and connected radiating fingers, so that the succeeding finger 34 will be brought into the path of rotation of the abutment 35. As the drum rotates the abutment 35 will engage finger 34' and cause lever 29 to rock on its fulcrum and vend one article from the magazine. The finger 34' will then be rotated by the abutment 35 and the second finger 34 will be brought in line for engagement by the second abutment 35 on the periphery of the drum. As in the case of the rocking lever I! in Fig. l, lever 29 is returned to normal position after each delivery of an article, by means of a suitable spring 38. The second finger 34 now being in line for engagement by the second abutment 35, the operation is repeated- After the vending of the second article, the second finger 34 will have been rotated, thus bringing second finger 33 in line for engagement by the coin engaging arm 23. During the rotation of the sleeve 32, the pawl 31 will engage the ratchet teeth 36 and assure the proper positioning of the fingers 33 and 34. Upon the first half Since there is no necessity for rotation of the drum, the coin will drop by gravity into a suitable receptacle (not shown), and after two articles have been vended and the second finger 33 is in line for engagement by the arm 26, the further rotation of the drum will fail to operate the vending mechanism in the absence of a coin from the recess.

For the 25 slot as illustrated in Fig. 3, the transverse recess 8 is provided with a coin engaging lever 39 pivoted at its lower end as at 49 to a transverse pin and normally held out of engagement with the periphery of the coin 8' by means of a suitable spring 4 I.

As heretofore described in connection with the delivery of two articles for the 10 coin illustrated in Fig. 2, I provide a rocking lever 42 fulcrumed, at 43 and carrying at its upper end a short transverse shaft 44 on which is rotatably mounted a sleeve or hub 45. In this form, however, the sleeve preferably carries at one end a single arm or finger 46 arranged in line for engagement with the coin engaging lever 39. The other end of the sleeve carries five radiating fingers 41 arranged in vertical alignment for engagement by five complementary recessed abutments 49 arranged around the periphery of the drum I. 49 is a ratchet located adjacent one end of the sleeve for engagement by a pawl member 50, to insure the proper positioning of the radiating fingers.

In operation, a 25 coin 8' is deposited in the chute 8a where it drops by gravity into the coin recess 8. The drum is then rotated by means of the handle 5 and the finger 46, lying in the path of rotation of lever 39, will be engaged by the latter and be rotated, thus rotating the sleeve 45 and bringing the first finger 41 in line for engagement by the abutment 48. Upon the continued rotation of the drum, the successive engagements of each of the fingers 41 by the complementary abutments 48 will rock lever 42' and successively deliver five articles from the magazine. During the. rotation of the drum, the coin will drop by gravity so that upon the completion of one rotation, should the operator continue to turn the handle, the drum will be rotated but lever 39 engaging finger 46 will be forced inwardly in the coin recess without rocking lever 42 or rotating the fingers into operative position, thereby preventing the delivery of further articles.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a section through the 50 recess 9 of the drum. In this recess I provide a coin engaging lever 5I' suitably pivoted at its lower end as at 52 to a transverse pin and normally held out of engagement with the periphery of the coin 9" by means of a spring 53. A rocker arm 54 adjacent the periphery of the drum I carries at its upper end a transverse shaft 55 on which is rotatably supported a sleeve 56 (Fig. 6) similar to sleeves 32 and 45. However, this sleeve carries adjacent one end a projecting finger 5'I lying in a vertical plane for engagement by the coin lever 5|, while the other end of the sleeve carries ten radiatingfingers 58 lying in the path of rotation of and engageable by complementary abutments 59 arranged around the periphery of the drum.

As heretofore described in connection with Figs. 2 and 3, one end of the sleeve 56 is provided with a suitable ratchet 60 engageable by a pawl member BI secured to the rocker arm 54 in order to assure proper positioning of the radiating fingers 51 and 58.

To vend ten articles from a magazine, a 50 coin 9' is inserted in the slot 9a and dropped into the coin recess 9.. Upon turning the handle 5 in clockwise direction, lever 5| will engage the projecting finger 51 on the sleeve 56 and rotate said finger and sleeve, bringing the first finger 58 in line for engagement by the complementary abutment 59. As the drum is rotated, the engagement of the abutment 59 with the finger 58 will rock arm 54 and deliver one article from a magazine (not shown in Fig. 4). A suitable spring (not shown but similar to spring 38 in Fig. 2) returns the rocker arm 54 to normal position after each delivery. The continued rotation of the drum will successively bring abutments 59 in engagement with the fingers 58 and successively vend an article for each engagement.

When the drum has completed one-half rotation, the coin will drop by gravity into a suitable receptacle (not shown). Upon completion of one rotation of the drum, the machine will have vended ten articles and the sleeve 56 will also have completed one rotation, thus bringing the radiating fingers 51 and 58 to their initial positions. Should the operator continue to turn the handle 5, the drum will continue to rotate but lever 5| will engage finger 51 and will be forced back into the recess without moving finger 51, thereby preventing further delivery of articles.

In the modified form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 7, 8, and 9, the drum la is rotatably mounted on a transverse shaft 2a. in suitable bearings carried by supports 3a and 4a in the casing of the vending machine. One end of the shaft 2a extends through the casing and terminates in a crank arm handle 5a.

Arranged longitudinally on the periphery of the drum, I provide a plurality of transverse coin recesses 52 and 63 adapted to receive 5c and 10 coins 52' and 63, respectively. Although I have shown only two recesses, it will be apparent that any number of such recesses may be used.

Referring to Fig. 8, it will be seen that in the coin recess 62 I provide a coin engaging arm 64 having its lower end pivoted as at 65 on a transverse pin, its upper end lying adjacent the periphery of the coin 62 and being curved to correspond substantially to the periphery of said coin. This arm is held normally out of engagement with the periphery of the coin by means of a spring 64a.

Adjacent the periphery of the drum I provide a rocking lever 66 fulcrumed at 67, the upper end of which lies in the path of rotation of the projecting end of the coin engaging arm 64, the opposite end of said lever being pivoted as at 68 to the end of a delivery arm 59 which is in turn connected to a plunger 10] adapted to eject articles H from a magazine 12.

In this form of my invention, I provide stop means for preventing the complete rotation of thedrum in the absence of a coin, and comprises an abutment 13 on the periphery of the drum la located at a suitable point intermediate the recesses 52 and 53. I4 designates a controlling lever located adjacent the periphery of the drum la and lying in the path of rotation of said abutment 73, one end of said lever 14 being pivoted at 15 to a shaft suitably supported in the casing. The other end of said lever terminates in a downwardly inclined stopmember lying in the path of rotation of, and engageable by the abutment 13. The stop member of the controlling lever is normally held in frictional engagement with the periphery of the drum la by means of a spring 16 shown in Fig. 8.

At a suitable point intermediate its ends, the controlling lever 14 carries a pair of oppositely disposed lateral wings or projections 11 and 18.

From Fig. 7 it will .be seen that wing 11 extends over the coin recess 62 so that with a 5c coin in place in the recess'and the handle 5a is turned in clockwise direction, the coin engaging arm 64 will ride against the curved underside of projection "H and raise the same, at the same time lifting the controlling lever 14 and permitting the drum to be rotated without the engagement of the stop member on the lever by the abutment 13 on the drum.

The operation of this modified form of my invention will be obvious from the foregoing description. However, it may be stated that after the coin engaging arm has lifted the controlling lever sufficiently to clear the abutment 13, said arm 54 will engage lever 55 and rock the same to eject an article from the magazine, the lever being brought back to normal position by means of a suitable spring 19.

The transverse recess 63 for the 10 coin 63' is provided with a coin engaging arm pivoted at its lower end to a transverse pin 8!; the upper end of said arm is curved to conform substantially to the periphery of the coin, and is normally held out of engagement therewith by means of a spring 82.

83 represents a rocking lever fulcrumcd at 84 (Fig. 9) and connected at its lower end to a delivery arm (not shown but similar to arm 59 of Fig. 8). The upper end of said lever is provided with a transverse shaft B5 on which is rotatably mounted a suitable hub or sleeve 86. One end of this sleeve carries two oppositely disposed fingers Bl in a vertical plane for engagement by a shoulder 88 on the coin engaging arm 85, the other end of said sleeve carries two oppositely disposed sectors or discs 89. As best seen from Fig. '7, these sectors are arranged in a vertical plane for engagement with the curved underside of the lateral projection 18. Each of said sectors is provided with a pair of transverse pins which project beyond the outer end of the lateral wing 78 and are capable of engagement by a suitable grooved abutment 9| on the periphery of the drum la.

92 designates ratchet teeth adjacent one end of the sleeve 86 engageable by a pawl member 93 suitably secured to the rocking lever 83 to properly position the fingers 81 and sectors 89.

The operation of this form of my invention is as follows:

A 10 coin is inserted in the machine and dropped into the recess 53. The handle 5a is then turned in clockwise direction, bringing coin engaging arm 86 against the first finger 81, and by means of the shoulder 88 on the arm 80, finger 81 will be partially rotated to bring the first sector 89 under the lateral projection I8, raising the latter and with it the lever 14 and permitting the stop member to ride over the abutment 13. As the drum rotates, the grooved abutment 9| will engage the first pin 90 on the first sector and rock lever 83 on its fulcrum, thereby vending an article. The sector will also be partially rotated by the continued rotation of the drum to bring the second. pin 90 in position for engagement by the grooved abutment 9 I, and the operation above described is repeated.

After vending two articles, the drum will have made two revolutions but the sleeve 86 will have made only one-half rotation, bringing second finger 81 in line for engagement by the coin engaging arm.

During the rotation of the drum, the coin will drop by gravity into a suitable receptacle (not shown) so that uppnthe completion of one cycle of operation, the stop member and abutment 13 will prevent further rotation of the drum.

As heretofore described in connection with the preferred form of my invention, in order to prevent reverse rotation of the drum, the latter is provided with a ratchet [a engageable by a pawl member Ila pivoted at [2a and normally held in engagement with the teeth on the ratchet by means of a spring [3a.

From the foregoing it is believed that the construction and advantages of my invention may be readily understood by those skilled in the art without further description, it being borne in mind that numerous changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention as set out in the following claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Coin controlled mechanism for vending machines comprising a rotary member, means for rotating the same, a coin recess in said rotary member, a pivoted lever associated with said rotary member and engageable by a coin in said recess to retain the former in projecting relation to the periphery of said rotary member, at least one radially projecting. lug carried by said rotary member, a rocker arm fulcrumed adjacent said rotary member, one end of said rocker arm being operatively connected to a vending device, rotatable means carried at the other end of said rocker arm capable of engagement by said lug to rock said rocker arm and in turn actuate said vending machine, and means associated with said rotatable means intermittently engageable by said pivoted coin engaging lever for rotating the former into position for operative engagement with said lug.

2. Coin controlled mechanism for vending machines comprising a rotary member, means for rotating the same, a coin recess in said rotary member, a pivoted lever in said recess and engageable by a coin therein to retain the former in projecting relation to the periphery of said rotary member, a plurality of radially projecting lugs carried by said rotary member, a rocker arm fulcrumed adjacent said rotary member, one end of said rocker arm being operatively connected to a vending device, a series of radiating arms rotatably carried at the other end of said rocker arm and capable of engagement with said radially projecting lugs to rock said rocker arm and in turn actuate said vending machine, and means associated with said rotatable arms intermittently engageable by said pivoted coin engaging lever for rotating the former into position for operative engagement with said radially projecting lugs.

3. Coin controlledv mechanism as claimed in claim 2 wherein the ends of said radially projecting lugs are recessed for engagement with said rotatable arms.

4. Coin controlled mechanism as claimed in claim 2 including ratchet means for preventing. the reverse rotation of said rotary member, and separate ratchet means for preventing the reverse rotation of said rotatable arms.

5; Coin controlled mechanism for vending machines comprising a rotary member, means for rotating the same, a coin recess in said rotary member, a pivoted lever in said recess engageable by a coin therein to retain the former in projecting relation to the periphery of said rotary member, a plurality of radially projecting lugs carried by said rotary member, a rocker arm fulcrumed adjacent said rotary member, one end of said rocker arm being operatively connected to a vending device, and a series of radiating arms rotatably carried at the other end of said rocker arm, certain of said arms being in line for engagement by said lugs to rock said rocker arm and in turn actuate said vending machine, at least one of the remaining arms lying in a different vertical plane and being intermittently engageable by said pivoted coin engaging lever for rotating the first mentioned radiating arms into position for operative engagement with said lugs.

6. Coin controlled mechanism for vending machines comprising a rotary member, means for rotating the same, a coin recess in said rotary member, a pivoted lever in said recess engageable by a coin therein to retain the former in projecting relation to the periphery of said rotary member, at least one radially projecting lug carried by said rotary member, a rocker arm fulcrumed adjacent said rotary member, one end of said rocker arm being operatively connected to a vending device, rotatable means carried at the other end of said rocker arm capable of engagement with said projecting lug to rock said rocker arm and in turn actuate said vending machine, means associated with said rotatable means intermittently engageable by said coin engaging lever for rotating the former into position for operative engagement with said lug, a stop member on said rotary member, and a pivoted arm normally lying in line for engagement with said stop member, said coin engaging lever, when a coin is in place in said recess, serving to rock said last named arm out of engagement with said stop.

CHARLES WALKER. 

